Frozen Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! The boys wanted to run with me today, their first 5K, so that was a treat. Little did I know it was going to be a freezing 23 degrees this morning. We bundled up and headed out. Once we started we were quick to warm up so the temperature wasn't a big factor. We stayed together and it took us a while but we made it!  Rigsby learned that three miles is a long way for little legs. Michael enjoyed the race energy and can't wait to do another. I am thankful for my boys and what could be a new Thanksgiving tradition for us!

 

Treasures

Last Saturday I ran in the Race 2 Recycle at Piedmont Park. Pretty funny as I am getting quite the reputation at school for recycling. My principal calls it hoarding but I like to think of it as creative upcycling.  Trash is a highly underestimated resource and we are making great treasures from recycled materials.


As part of a team building exercise, the first graders at

Westside painted on large sheets of recycled blue prints.
 

It was the first run for me in several weeks and it felt great. The leaves were falling, the park was quiet and a small group gathered to run. The entire route was within the park which was refreshing. And...I love this park! As much as I dream about moving to a smaller city, Piedmont Park makes me fall in love with Atlanta every time I'm there. Besides all of the great spaces, Mike and I were married there and it fills my heart with joy just thinking about it.



A truly great day at the park!

A Single and a Double

The end of September, I completed race 5 while catching up with a dear friend. Our busy lifestyles have taken us in different directions the last few months so it was much needed time. The course was an 8K in an area of Atlanta which will eventually be part of the Beltline. While it was great catching up and seeing a different part of the city, I could feel myself coming down with something. It was a struggle but thankfully had my faith and friend to motivate me to keep running.  I rallied for the next two weeks to get through the end of the first grading period at school and then my body crashed. That something turned into Bronchitis and Sinusitis. I missed a trail run that I wanted to do at Serenbe and rested for an entire week during fall break. At the end of the break, I was determined to fit in a Saturday and Sunday run. Enter race 6, the Spooktacular Chase and race 7, the Morningside Mile...not a good decision! I was still not feeling well for the Spooktacular Chase but was set on running. It was cold and rainy and I had a pounding headache. I could hear every footstep and deep breath from the runners beside me. Dogs were barking and race support was cheering. Ugh...I just wanted to be done so I could go home and crawl back in bed. The Morningside Mile was better weather wise and shorter in distance but I still wasn't feeling 100%. I'm not sure I would do this one again or perhaps if I did, I would bring my kids, too. It started late, was point to point and a bit crazy with all the jogging strollers and kids weaving back and forth.

Because of my lingering cough, I missed another race last week that was an all girls nighttime run at Piedmont Park. Sounds fun, right? I was very disappointed but took the advise of my family members who encouraged me to make good decisions. Now after my second round of antibiotics and taking two steps back, I'm checking the race calendar and hoping to move forward before the end of the calendar year.